Distributed energy generation and consumption monitoring and reporting device with modular communication upgradability and protection domains in hardware

ABSTRACT

An electrical unit with modular hardware structure in which more complex and unsafe portions of the device are restricted for access by a qualified electrician only, whereas safe areas are made accessible to a non-electrician user, such as a homeowner or a low expertise technician, to help diagnose issues and/or upgrade the functionality of the device without requiring the presence of a high expertise technician/electrician. The unit may include the ability to add new communication interfaces in a modular manner, preferably by a non-electrician user. Protection domains are created by designing the electrical unit to include an easier level of physical access, open to the homeowner or a low expertise technician. This area would support the modular upgrade interfaces for communication and/or diagnostic interfaces for troubleshooting. A restricted area of access may be used to shield the high voltage wiring as well as wired industrial communication interfaces from the homeowner.

This application claims the priority benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) ofU.S. Provisional Application No. 62/281,771 filed on Jan. 22, 2016,Provisional Application No. 62/335,128 filed on May 12, 2016 andProvisional Application No. 62/436,075 filed Dec. 19, 2016, thedisclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to energy monitoring andreporting devices. More particularly, and not by way of limitation,particular embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to anelectrical unit for monitoring and reporting of energy generation andconsumption, and having a modular hardware structure in which morecomplex and unsafe portions of the device are restricted for access by aqualified electrician only, whereas safe areas are made accessible to ahomeowner or low expertise technician to help diagnose issues and/orupgrade the functionality of the device without requiring the presenceof a high expertise technician/electrician.

BACKGROUND

A photovoltaic (PV) system converts the sun's radiation into usableelectricity. PV systems range from small, rooftop-mounted orbuilding-integrated systems with capacities from a few to several tensof kilowatts, to large, utility-scale power stations of hundreds ofmegawatts. Some PV systems may be connected to an electrical grid toenable transmission and distribution of their generated-electricity toother participants in the utility market. On the other hand, some PVsystems, such as, for example, residential or small-scale PV systems,may be off-grid or stand-alone systems. A PV system may comprise asolar/PV array to convert solar radiation into Direct Current (DC)electricity, a charge controller to receive the generated DC electricalcurrent and transfer it for storage, a storage (battery) unit to store aportion of the generated electricity, and an inverter to convert thestored electric current from DC to AC (Alternating Current) to drive anAC load.

A PV solar system or any other renewable energy system may employ one ormore monitoring equipments to monitor and report the generation andconsumption of renewable energy. The monitoring equipment maycommunicate with a remote management equipment (for example, a databaseserver) for remote storage and analysis of data collected by themonitoring equipment. The remote management equipment may communicatewith the monitoring equipment via a network—like a cellular network, theinternet, a combination of wireline and wireless networks, and the like.Such data storage and analysis may be used to generate billing, assesssystem operations, generate system performance analytics, perform remotetroubleshooting and alert a qualified technician to visit the site foradditional troubleshooting and maintenance, and so on.

SUMMARY

One of the challenges in installing monitoring equipment withcommunication capability is that the equipment must serve the long timespan (for example, 20 years) of PV solar, energy storage and/or otherdistributed energy management equipment despite ongoing changes in bothcommunication protocols as well as the distributed energy technologyitself. In a span of 20 years, cellular, radio, satellite, and homenetworking communication technologies may change drastically and makeold communication technologies either obsolete and completelynon-functional, or barely working but a drag on newer technologies andprotocols. In addition, during this time period, there may be rapiddevelopments in home energy management, energy storage and improvedsolar PV.

For example, the original 802.11 Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) communicationstandard was introduced in 1997, and the 802.11b standard was introducedin 1999. Products from those years, if forced to serve the market until2017 or 2019, would barely work with newer Wi-Fi standards, and if theywork, would significantly reduce air throughput of Wi-Fi in the homewhere PV solar instruments are installed. Similarly, cellular operatorsare repurposing the 2G (Second Generation) spectrum to use on 4G (FourthGeneration). Allowing 2G devices to continue to operate on a 4G networkwould incur major spectral efficiency costs, as well as hold backprogress towards newer, faster, and better communication methods.

One possible option of mitigating the above problem is to provision forthe monitoring device to be replaced within the lifespan of therenewable energy system—such as, for example, a PV solar system.However, performing this replacement can be both expensive and complexbecause a monitoring equipment can involve high voltage electricalconnections, as well as communication interface connections to varioussystem units such as, for example, inverters, batteries, chargecontrollers, weather stations, and the like. This would mean that aqualified electrician or a high expertise technician has to be involvedin such a replacement. This can result in very high costs, usually morethan twice the cost of the original monitoring hardware.

With most monitoring equipments, another associated problem is thedifficulty in enlisting the help of the homeowner or a low expertisetechnician in remotely diagnosing the unit. Because the monitoringequipment has high voltage wiring, there are material risks in havingthe homeowner or a low expertise technician try to perform service ordiagnostic activities on their own.

Another issue with installing a monitoring and reporting equipment in ahome is the tradeoff between using home networking (such as a home Wi-Finetwork) versus a cellular/external network as the backhaul tocommunicate with the remote management equipment. While a cellularnetwork integration provides a reliable backhaul independent of the homenetwork, it increases the hardware cost and adds a recurringexpenditure. The home network, while cheap, can be unreliable, and theshort installation timeframe does not provide enough information on thelong term reliability of the home network to decide whether the homenetwork is good enough for the backhaul. The high cost of a future truckroll to the home with a high expertise technician however means that theinstall company has to decide one way or the other at the time ofinstallation of the monitoring equipment.

Existing technology includes physically splitting the monitoring deviceinto two separate pieces—one piece performs as the monitoring element,and the other piece performs as the communicating element. For example,in such a configuration, a monitoring device could have a separatecommunicating element—like a 900 MHz RF (Radio Frequency) radio or aHomeplug interface to a gateway—which could be located within the houseand accessible to the homeowner for replacement. However, such animplementation (a) includes high cost and (b) adds one more wirelesscommunication mode to the product, which can result in more problemsthat need to be troubleshot. For example, instead of just one wirelesscommunication mode—that is, communication between the monitoring deviceand the remote management equipment, the split-device implementationmentioned here creates two separate wireless communication modes—onebetween the monitoring element and the physically separately locatedcommunicating element, and the other between the communicating elementand the remote management equipment. Additional communication modesindeed create additional problems that need to be diagnosed andrectified.

It is therefore desirable to provide a monitoring device that does notcreate additional communication modes between its constituent parts andthat has a portion accessible to a non-electrician user (such as ahomeowner or a low expertise technician) to perform certain upgrades andtroubleshooting of the device without requiring the presence of aqualified electrician.

As a solution, particular embodiments of the present disclosure providean electrical unit for monitoring and reporting of energy generation andconsumption. The electrical unit has a modular hardware structure inwhich more complex and unsafe portions of the device are restricted foraccess by a qualified electrician only, whereas safe areas are madeaccessible to a homeowner or low expertise technician to help diagnoseissues and/or upgrade the functionality of the device without requiringthe presence of a high expertise technician/electrician.

More specifically, the electrical unit as per teachings of the presentdisclosure may have two features—modular upgradeability, and separateaccess levels (or protection domains). As part of modularupgradeability, the unit may include the ability to add newcommunication interfaces in a modular manner. Thus, instead of replacingthe entire monitoring unit, new communication interfaces can simply beadded or replaced, preferably by a non-electrician user. Software insupport for the new communication interface may be (a) applied over theair if the unit is still communicating using the old interface, (b)applied using a local interface prior to adding the new hardware, (c)contained as part of the new hardware and absorbed by the main devicewhen the new hardware is added. Alternatively, the new/upgradedinterface may be designed to be plug-and-play ready so that no newsoftware is required to support the new interface being added.Protection domains are created by designing the electrical unit toinclude an outer, easier level of physical access, open to the homeowneror a low expertise technician. This area would support the modularupgrade interfaces for communication as well as diagnostic interfacesfor debugging issues. An inner, more tightly restricted area of accessmay be used to shield the high voltage wiring as well as wiredindustrial communication interfaces—such as the standardized RS485 portsbased on the TIA/EIA (Telecommunications Industry Association/ElectronicIndustries Alliance) 485 standard—to the inverters, batteries, chargecontrollers, weather stations, and the like, from the homeowner.

In one embodiment, the present disclosure is directed to an electricalunit that comprises an operative module and an interface module. Theoperative module has circuit components accessible to a qualifiedelectrician only, and the interface module is physically attached to theoperative module and electrically connected thereto to form a unitarystructure for the electrical unit. The interface module includes atleast one of the following: (i) a communication interface to enable theoperative module to remotely communicate with a control unit external tothe electrical unit, and (ii) a diagnostic interface to indicateoperational status of the electrical unit and to enable remote diagnosisof the electrical unit. In the electrical unit, the interface module isaccessible to a non-electrician user to perform upgrade of the interfacemodule and troubleshooting for the electrical unit without requiringpresence of a qualified electrician.

In one embodiment, the operative module and the interface module arecovered in a nested configuration in which an inner cover shields theoperative module to prevent the non-electrician user from accessing theoperative module and a removable outer cover is placed over the innercover to allow the non-electrician user to access the interface module.

In another embodiment, the operative module and the interface module arecovered in a non-overlapping configuration in which a first covershields the operative module to prevent the non-electrician user fromaccessing the operative module and a removable second cover is placedadjacent to the first cover and over the interface module to allow thenon-electrician user to access the interface module.

In one embodiment, the operative module is a utility monitoring meterand the interface module is attached as a protrusion to the monitoringmeter, wherein the protrusion has at least one removable side to allowthe non-electrician user to access the interface module. The protrusionmay be cylindrical or rectangular in shape.

In the interface module, the communication interface may be at least oneof the following: a cellular telecommunications interface, a WirelessFidelity (Wi-Fi) interface, a Radio Frequency (RF) interface, and anEthernet interface.

In the interface module, the diagnostic interface may be at least one ofthe following: a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, an Ethernetinterface, a mini-Peripheral Component Interconnect express (mini-PCIe)interface, a Personal Computer Memory Card International Association(PCMCIA) interface, a Universal Smart Network Access Port (USNAP)interface, and a DB9 port.

Some examples of the electrical unit as per teachings of the presentdisclosure include a renewable energy monitoring unit, an electricalswitch, a circuit load panel, an energy storage meter, and an electricalenergy monitoring unit.

In one embodiment, the present disclosure is directed to a method thatcomprises: (a) providing an electrical unit that comprises an operativemodule and an interface module as outlined above; and (b) remotelyinstructing the non-electrician user to perform upgrade of the interfacemodule and troubleshooting for the electrical unit using the interfacemodule.

In another embodiment, the present disclosure is directed to anelectrical unit that comprises: (i) an operative module having circuitcomponents accessible to a qualified electrician only; and (ii) aninterface module physically attachable to the operative module andelectrically connectible thereto, wherein, upon attachment, theoperative module and the interface module form a unitary structure forthe electrical unit. The interface module includes at least one of thefollowing: (a) a communication interface to enable the operative moduleto remotely communicate with a control unit external to the electricalunit, and (b) a diagnostic interface to indicate operational status ofthe electrical unit and to enable remote diagnosis of the electricalunit. The interface module is accessible to a non-electrician user toperform upgrade of the interface module and troubleshooting for theelectrical unit without requiring presence of a qualified electrician.

Thus, the separation of unsafe and safe portions of an energy monitoringunit and controlled accessibility to these portions as per teachings ofthe present disclosure results in reduced costs for upgrading andtroubleshooting of the unit because a homeowner or a low-skilledtechnician can perform such routine upgrading or troubleshooting withoutthe need to wait for a visit by a qualified (and more expensive)electrician to the site. The communication interface in the monitoringunit may be upgraded at low cost by the homeowner or a non-electricianto make the unit hardware compatible with cellular network sunset orhome network protocol obsolescence. Similarly, by providing thehomeowner with access to debug interfaces and diagnostic indicators,troubleshooting costs for the monitoring unit are reduced and outcomesare improved. Remote troubleshooting may be more effective, leading tofewer truck rolls (with costly electrician visits to the sites), lowercosts, faster resolution, and higher customer satisfaction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following section, the present disclosure will be described withreference to exemplary embodiments illustrated in the figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of an exemplary electrical unit asper teachings of one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary electrical unit implementing the dividedaccess aspect discussed with reference to the electrical unit in theembodiment of FIG. 1 using a nested configuration;

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary electrical unit implementing the dividedaccess aspect discussed with reference to the electrical unit in theembodiment of FIG. 1 using side-by-side access zones;

FIG. 4 depicts another exemplary electrical unit implementing thedivided access aspect discussed with reference to the electrical unit inthe embodiment of FIG. 1 using a protruding attachment;

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary electrical unit implementing the dividedaccess aspect discussed with reference to the electrical unit in theembodiment of FIG. 1 using a wired connection through an intermediateconnector; and

FIG. 6 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating how the divided accessmethodology may be used to perform upgrade and troubleshooting of anelectrical unit according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are setforth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosure.However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that thepresent disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. Inother instances, well-known methods, procedures, components and circuitshave not been described in detail so as not to obscure the presentdisclosure.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment is includedin at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, theappearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” or“according to one embodiment” (or other phrases having similar import)in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily allreferring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features,structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner inone or more embodiments. Also, depending on the context of discussionherein, a singular term may include its plural forms and a plural termmay include its singular form. Similarly, a hyphenated term (e.g.,“transformer-rated,” “Wi-Fi”, “on-site,” etc.) may be occasionallyinterchangeably used with its non-hyphenated version (e.g., “transformerrated,” “WiFi”, “on site,” etc.), and a capitalized entry (e.g.,“Electrical Unit,” “Operative Module,” “Electrician Zone,” etc.) may beinterchangeably used with its non-capitalized version (e.g., “electricalunit”, “operative module,” “electrician zone,” etc.). Such occasionalinterchangeable uses shall not be considered inconsistent with eachother.

It is noted at the outset that the terms “coupled,” “operativelycoupled,” “connected”, “connecting,” “electrically connected,” etc., areused interchangeably herein to generally refer to the condition of beingelectrically/electronically connected in an operative manner. Similarly,a first entity is considered to be in “communication” with a secondentity (or entities) when the first entity electrically sends and/orreceives (whether through wireline or wireless means) informationsignals (whether containing address, data, or control information)to/from the second entity regardless of the type (analog or digital) ofthose signals. It is further noted that various figures (includingcomponent diagrams) shown and discussed herein are for illustrativepurpose only, and are not drawn to scale.

The terms “first,” “second,” etc., as used herein, are used as labelsfor nouns that they precede, and do not imply any type of ordering(e.g., spatial, temporal, logical, etc.) unless explicitly defined assuch.

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of an exemplary electrical unit 10as per teachings of one embodiment of the present disclosure. Although arenewable energy monitoring unit is used as a primary example of theelectrical unit 10 in the discussion below, it is noted that thediscussion equally applies to other types of electrical units such as,for example, an electrical switch, a circuit load panel, an energystorage meter, an electrical energy monitoring unit, an electricalvehicle charging unit, a utility meter, and the like. As shown, theelectrical unit 10 may include an operative module 12 and an interfacemodule 14. The operative module 12 may have circuit componentsaccessible to a qualified electrician only. The interface module 14, onthe other hand, may include a communication interface 16 and adiagnostic interface 18, and may be accessible to a non-electricianuser—such as a homeowner or a low-skilled or low expertise technician—toallow the non-electrician user to perform upgrade of the interfacemodule and troubleshooting for the electrical unit without requiringpresence of a qualified electrician. As discussed later, such bifurcatedor divided access allows a non-electrician user to perform routineupgrades and troubleshooting without requiring costly trips to the siteby a qualified electrician.

In particular embodiments, the interface module 14 may be physicallyattached to the operative module 12 and electrically connected to theoperative module 12 to form a unitary structure for the electrical unit10. The physical attachment and electrical connection (or operationalcoupling) between the operative module 12 and the interface module 14 isillustrated by the bi-directional arrow 19 in FIG. 1. The communicationinterface 16 may enable the operative module 12 to remotely communicatewith a control unit (not shown) external to the electrical unit 10. Thecontrol unit may be, for example, a remote server, a customer servicecenter, or the earlier-mentioned management equipment associated with arenewable energy site to facilitate billing, remote troubleshooting,performance analytics, and the like. The diagnostic interface 18 mayindicate operational status of the electrical unit 10 and may enableremote diagnosis of the electrical unit 10.

It is noted here that, in certain embodiments, the interface module 14may not contain both of the interfaces 16, 18. For example, in oneembodiment, the on-board diagnostics features may not be available and,hence, the diagnostic interface 18 may be absent or may havesignificantly limited functionality. In another example, the electricalunit 10 may not need to communicate with a remote management equipment.In that case, the communication interface 16 may be absent or may havelimited functionality. Alternatively, in other embodiments, thefunctionalities of the individual interfaces 16, 18 may be combined intoa single interface forming the interface module 14.

In particular embodiments, initially the operative module 12 and theinterface module 14 may be separate. However, to make the electricalunit 10 operational, the interface module 14 may be physicallyattachable to and electrically connectible to the operative module 12.Upon attachment, the operative module 12 and the interface module 14 mayform a unitary structure for the electrical unit 10.

As noted before, upon installation and during operation, the operativemodule 12 and the interface module 14 form a unitary (that is,integrated or undivided) structure for the electrical unit 10. As aresult, during operation, these modules do not split the electrical unit10 into two physically separate pieces. Thus, unlike the existingmonitoring devices, the electrical unit 10 does not require to establishand maintain an additional communication mode between the operativemodule 12 and the interface module 14. Rather, the electrical unit 10 isoperatively configured as a single and structurally-integrated entitycommunicating with the remote management equipment (not shown).

FIGS. 2 through 5 show different implementations for the electrical unit10 in FIG. 1. Hence, different reference numerals are used for eachimplementation and its constituent parts to distinguish them from oneanother. It is understood, however, that each implementation in FIGS.2-5 is a specific example of the generic electrical unit 10 shown in theembodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 shows an exemplary electrical unit 20 implementing the dividedaccess aspect discussed with reference to the electrical unit 10 in theembodiment of FIG. 1 using a nested configuration. In thisimplementation, a plastic base 22 mates with two covers—an inner cover24 and an outer cover 25. In one embodiment, the inner and outer covers24-25 may be of plastic as well. The inner cover 24 shields an operativemodule (or electrician zone) 27 that a homeowner or a low expertisetechnician is prevented from accessing. The outer cover 25, however, ismore easily removable and is placed over the inner cover 24. Uponremoval, the outer cover 25 allows a non-electrician user to access aninterface module 28 of the electrical unit 20. In the embodiment of FIG.2, the interface module 28 is shown to have two constituent interfaces—acommunication interface (or upgrade zone) 30 and a diagnostic interface(or debug zone) 32. The removable outer cover 25 allows access toupgrade and debug zones 30, 32 within the device 20 because these zonesare safe to be accessed by a homeowner or a low expertise technician.

The arrangement of inner and outer covers 24-25 in the embodiment ofFIG. 2 creates a nested configuration in which the smaller inner cover24 is nested inside the larger outer cover 25. The operative module 27and its associated inputs and ports (identified below) are distinguishedfrom other parts and components in the electrical unit 20 by using theline pattern “

” as opposed to the simple dashed line patterns “

” (for the inner cover 24) and “

” (for the parts of the interface module 28).

In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the operative module 27 may include: (i)one or more voltage inputs 34 such as, for example, L1 (Line 1), L2(Line 2), N (Negative), and G (Ground) inputs, or Voltage Transformer(VT) inputs; (ii) one or more Current Transformer (CT) inputs 35 orother current inputs for PV energy generation and consumptionmonitoring; (iii) one or more RS485 ports 36; and (iv) the electronicPrinted Circuit Board (PCB) (not shown) for the operative module itself.These inputs and ports 34-36 and the electronic circuit board areincluded in the electrician zone and shielded from the homeowner.

The upgrade zone 30 in the interface module 28 may include: (i) a“shelf” 38 to place a cellular dongle or modem, and (ii) one or more USBslots 39 for modules that the homeowner may add for upgradedconnectivity options. On the other hand, the debug zone 32 may includeone or more USB interfaces 40 and one or more Ethernet interfaces 41 toallow the homeowner to debug issues on his/her own or through a remotetroubleshooting session with a service person. In one embodiment, LightEmitting Diodes (LEDs) 42 also may be provided as part of the debug zone32 to visually indicate status of various monitoring operations beingcarried out by the operative module 27. The visibility to these LEDs 42may be made available either through the outer cover 25 or upon removalof the outer cover 25.

It is noted here that the implementation shown in FIG. 2 is only anexample. What interfaces are made available for upgradability and whatinterfaces get covered up by a shield in the higher access level zonemay differ in other implementations. The actual mechanism for providingthese separate access level tiers also may be different in otherembodiments. For example, the divided access mechanism in the embodimentof FIG. 2 uses nested access zones, whereas that in the embodiment ofFIG. 3 uses side-by-side access zones as discussed below.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary electrical unit 45 implementing the dividedaccess aspect discussed with reference to the electrical unit 10 in theembodiment of FIG. 1 using side-by-side access zones. In the embodimentof FIG. 3, a plastic base 47 mates with two covers 49-50 placedside-by-side in a non-overlapping configuration. The covers 49-50 may bemade of plastic as well. One cover 49 shields an operative module 52 toprevent a non-electrician user from accessing the module 52. The othercover 50 is placed adjacent to the operative module's cover 49 and overan interface module 53. The interface module's cover 50 may be removableby a non-electrician user to access the module 53. For ease ofillustration, additional component details for the modules 52-53 in FIG.3 are not shown. However, it is understood that, in one embodiment, themodules 52-53 may have circuit components—like USB and Ethernetinterfaces, voltage inputs, and so on—similar to or different from thoseshown with reference to corresponding operative and interface modules inthe embodiment of FIG. 2. A connecting portion 55 in FIG. 3 illustratesphysical attachment and electrical connection between the two modules52-53.

In addition to the structures in the embodiments of FIGS. 2-3 havingtwo-layer enclosures, other alternative structures that provide ahomeowner or a low-skilled technician the ability to accessdiagnostic/communication interfaces without access to the high voltageelectrical portion and high expertise areas also may be possible asdiscussed below with reference to the exemplary embodiments in FIGS.4-5.

FIG. 4 depicts another exemplary electrical unit 57 implementing thedivided access aspect discussed with reference to the electrical unit inthe embodiment of FIG. 1 using a protruding attachment 59. In oneembodiment, the protruding attachment 59 may be the interface module ofthe electrical unit 57. The operative module of the electrical unit 57may be a utility meter or a socket meter 61 that may have a protrudingcompartment 59 attached thereto. The protruding attachment 59 may haveat least one removable side such as, for example, a hermetically sealeddoor 63 that may be secured with one or more screws 64 that could beopened by a low expertise level technician to perform a diagnosticactivity, a firmware upgrade, add communication functionality, orupgrade existing communication functionality. In the embodiment of FIG.4, the socket meter 61 is shown with a USB port 66 on the edge of thesocket meter's envelope. The door 63 may provide access to the housingfor communication upgrade and the USB port 66. The protrusion 59 may beattachable to the meter 61 in the field or the entire unit 57 may bemanufactured with the protrusion 59 already attached to the meter 61.For example, in one embodiment, the protrusion 59 may be added into theplastic enclosure (not shown) of the meter 61 and/or an acrylic dome(not shown) of the meter 61 on the face/side of the meter directlyfacing the USB port 66. In certain embodiments, the protrusion may berectangular or cylindrical in shape depending on the geometry of theoperative module (or socket meter) and available attachment options. Asshown in FIG. 4, the protrusion 59 may have one or more face (or side)removable by using screw(s). For example, a protrusion—like theprotrusion 59—may be cylindrical and it may have an outer circle thatcould be a removable disc. The low cost technician/homeowner would beable to unscrew this disc and insert a communication upgrade interfaceor a diagnostic interface into a USB port—like the USB port 66. Theembodiment in FIG. 4 depicts a view of the socket meter 61 from itsface, with the electronic circuit board or PCB 68 of the operativemodule shown as a dashed circle. While the embodiment in FIG. 4 showsthe application of a protrusion-based design to a socket meter, it isunderstood that the teachings of the present disclosure cover the usageof such a protruding compartment with an openable door/window to allowthe addition or upgrade of a debug/communication interface to atransformer-rated meter as well.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary electrical unit 70 implementing the dividedaccess aspect discussed with reference to the electrical unit 10 in theembodiment of FIG. 1 using a wired connection through an intermediateconnector 72. The electrical unit 70 may include the intermediateconnector 72, an operative module 74 and an interface module 76. In theembodiment of FIG. 5, the operative module 74 is a self-contained meter,such as a socket meter and the intermediate connector 72 is a base thatfunctions as a socket for the meter 74. The meter 74 may operatively fitinto the base 72 via a meter receptor port 77 and electrical connections78. Thus, although the meter 74 itself may not have any openings oraccess to the electrical circuitry for communication and/or diagnostics,the electrical circuitry—here, the interface module 76—may be wired intothe electrical meter base socket 72 into which the meter plugs. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 5, the socket meter base 72 may haveopenings—one of which is shown and identified using the referencenumeral “80”—that allow one or more communication/debugging interfaceconnections from the meter 74, such as a USB cable 82, to exit into themeter socket base 72 and be wired from there to an external enclosure 76where the communication upgrade/troubleshooting circuitry (or interface)may be housed. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the interface module 76 isshown as a rectangular protrusion that may have an access door or side83 openable by a homeowner or low-skilled technician to access thecommunication and/debug device(s) contained in the interface module 76.The door may have sufficient hermetic sealing when closed to ensure thatany communication/diagnostic hardware added to the meter into theprotrusion is protected from the natural elements in line with themeter's environmental rating. In one embodiment, all of the componentsshown in FIG. 5 may be housed within a single enclosure (not shown)constituting the electrical unit 70. In that case, there may be ahermetically-sealed door in the enclosure to protect meter electronicsand circuits in the interface module from the natural elements in linewith the meter's environmental rating. The enclosure-based door may beopened by a non-electrician user to access the interface module 76inside the enclosure, without allowing the user to access the operativemodule 74. In one embodiment, the operative module 74 and the base 72may be housed in an enclosure, whereas the interface module 76 may be aprotrusion attachable to the operative module 74 via the interface cable82 available through the opening 80 in the base 72. While the embodimentin FIG. 5 shows the application of a cable-based design to a socketmeter, it is understood that the teachings of the present disclosurecover the usage of such interface cables that exit a base/enclosure toallow for the addition or upgrade of one or more debug/communicationmodules to a transformer-rated meter as well.

It is noted that the meters 61, 74 shown in FIGS. 4-5, respectively, maybe utility monitoring meters configured to monitor at least one of thefollowing: a household utility such as electricity, gas, or water;electricity voltage; electricity current; electricity power; electricityfrequency; electricity power factor; and electricity phase angle.However, the teachings of the present disclosure cover bothself-contained and transformer-rated electrical energy Watt-Hour meterswith or without monitoring of other aspects of electricity (such asvoltage, current, frequency, power, phase angle, power factor, and thelike) with diagnostic and/or communication interfaces made accessible tothe homeowner or a low-skilled technician in the field to facilitatediagnosis, firmware/configuration updates, and addition, upgrade, orreplacement of functionality, especially communication functionality.

The discussion below explains how the divided access aspect discussedwith reference to the exemplary embodiments in FIGS. 1-5 may be utilizedin practice.

The monitoring and reporting device—such as the electrical unit in anyof the FIGS. 1-5—may be initially installed by an electrician witheither the core containing the initial communication interfacesrequired, or with modular plug-in hardware for the initial interfacesrequired. During the installation, the electrician may prefer to use thehome network as the backhaul (for communication with a remote managementequipment) due to lower hardware and recurring costs, while maintainingan easy and low-cost option of adding cellular communication at a laterstage if necessary. The new installation may be monitored for a fewweeks for communication reliability and regularity. If it issatisfactory, the installation is left with home networking as thebackhaul. However, if the home network backhaul is found to beinadequate, a cellular communication module may be shipped to thehomeowner to be installed by the homeowner by accessing the interfacemodule of the monitoring device or an installation can be arranged by alow-cost technician who can also access the interface module. In theevent of a home network protocol obsolescence, a new module may beshipped to the homeowner or an installation arranged through a low costtechnician to add a new protocol capability to the home network. The newmodule may replace a previously installed module, or override thefunctionality of an already-included element in the core of the product.Similarly, for a monitoring device where cellular networking waspreviously added using a module, in the event of a cellular networksunset by the carrier involved, a new module supporting newerprotocol(s) may be shipped to the homeowner or installation arranged bya low cost technician through access to the device's interface module.In this manner, communication system upgrades may be performed withoutthe need to send a qualified electrician to the site.

In the event of an issue with the monitoring unit—such as the electricalunit in any of the FIGS. 1-5, the homeowner's access may be used to helpdebug the issue remotely over a phone or an Internet-based chat session.The homeowner may be remotely instructed—by a service person from aremote support center—to observe the diagnostic indicators as well asuse appropriate diagnostic interfaces in the homeowner accessible areaof the monitoring unit to help diagnose the issue(s) affecting theperformance of the unit. Similarly, a low expertise technician could beremotely assisted to troubleshoot an issue on site using theseindicators and interfaces. In this manner, diagnostics ortroubleshooting of the monitoring unit may be performed without the needto send a qualified electrician to the site.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary flowchart 85 illustrating how the divided accessmethodology may be used to perform upgrade and troubleshooting of anelectrical unit, such as the electrical unit 10 in FIG. 1, according toone embodiment of the present disclosure. At block 87, the method mayinclude the step of providing the electrical unit, which, as mentionedbefore, may include an operative module, such as the operative module 12in FIG. 1, and an interface module, such as the interface module 14 inFIG. 1. The operative module may have circuit components accessible to aqualified electrician only, whereas the interface module may beaccessible to a non-electrician user without requiring the presence of aqualified electrician. The interface module may be physically attachedto the operative module and electrically connected thereto to form aunitary structure for the electrical unit. In one embodiment, theinterface module may be physically attachable to the operative moduleand, upon attachment, the two modules may form a unitary structure forthe electrical unit.

As noted at block 88 and discussed before, the interface module mayinclude at least one of the following: (i) a communication interface,such as the communication interface 16 in FIG. 1, to enable theoperative module to remotely communicate with a control unit external tothe electrical unit, and (ii) a diagnostic interface, such as thediagnostic interface 18 in FIG. 1, to indicate operational status of theelectrical unit and to enable remote diagnosis of the electrical unit.

As noted at block 90, the method in the embodiment of FIG. 6 may furtherinclude the step of remotely instructing the non-electrician user toperform upgrade of the interface module and troubleshooting for theelectrical unit using the interface module. In this manner, thedivided/bifurcated access methodology may be used to perform upgrade andtroubleshooting of an electrical unit as per teachings of the presentdisclosure.

Thus, the modular hardware approach as per teachings of the presentdisclosure provides the ability to add new or upgraded communicationinterfaces to a monitoring and reporting device by separatingdangerous/sensitive/complex circuit elements from the homeowner orlow-skilled technician so that the homeowner or low-skilled techniciancan perform field upgrades of some functionality at low cost. Althoughthe discussion above is primarily provided using a renewable energymonitoring and reporting device as an example of the electrical unit inFIGS. 1-5, it is noted that the discussion equally applies to morecomplex devices as well such as, for example, devices involvingmonitoring, reporting, interconnection, and control of a PV solarsystem; an electrical energy monitoring unit; an electrical switch suchas, for example, energy storage, islanding, or disconnect switches; acircuit load panel such as critical load panels; an energy storage metersuch as, for example, a battery charge monitor; an electric vehiclecharging unit; and the like. Generally, as per the present disclosure,more complex and unsafe portions of such devices may be restricted toelectrician access only, whereas safe areas may be made accessible to anon-electrician user or a low expertise technician to help diagnoseissues with the device and/or upgrade a device functionality such ascommunication capability.

Although the example in the embodiment of FIG. 2 shows voltageconnections, current transformer connections, RS485 ports, and theelectrical circuit board as the areas to be included in the higheraccess level protection domain (electrician zone), it is noted that theelements to be included in the higher access level zone versus the lowerone—which is to be accessible to a non-electrician user—may bedetermined according to the exact design of the product in question andsuch criteria as safety, complexity, and sensitivity of the elementsinvolved.

Furthermore, although previous discussion mentions USB and Ethernet asthe interfaces for upgrades and troubleshooting and LEDs as diagnosticindicators, the teachings of the present disclosure are not limited tothese examples only. In particular embodiments, a debug/upgradeinterface—such as the diagnostic interface 18 or the interface module 14itself in FIG. 1—may include one or more of the following interfaces orports: one or more USB interfaces, one or more Ethernet interfaces, oneor more miniPCIe interfaces, one or more PCMCIA interfaces, one or moreUSNAP interfaces, one or more DB9 ports, and so on. As is understood, aUSNAP interface may enable a Home Area Network (HAN) to communicate withutility systems, energy gateways, or other devices within the home. Thediagnostic interface, such as the diagnostic interface 18 in FIG. 1, mayinclude LEDs as diagnostic/troubleshooting indicators, or a LiquidCrystal Display (LCD) as a diagnostic indicator, or some otherindicator(s) for audible and/or visible alert.

In certain embodiments, the electrical units as per teachings of thepresent disclosure may use plastic or any other material for theenclosures. For example, the enclosure(s) may be of metal (withappropriate designs to allow for antennas in modular interfaces to beadded if RF modular interfaces are to be supported) or of any othermaterial suitable for implementing the divided access aspect as per thepresent disclosure. Similarly, in some embodiments, the layout of thetwo access areas—one for the qualified electrician and the other for anon-electrician user—may be different from the nested (FIG. 2) andside-by-side (FIG. 3) configurations discussed before.

As noted before, many different types of communication interfaces may beincluded as part of an interface module, such as the interface module 14in FIG. 1. For example, in particular embodiments, a communicationinterface, such as the communication interface 16 in FIG. 1, may includeone or more of the following interfaces: a cellular telecommunicationsinterface such as, for example, interface for 3G (Third Generation) or4G (Fourth Generation) cellular network; a Wi-Fi interface, an RFinterface such as, for example, a Bluetooth® interface; an Ethernetport/interface; a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) interface; aFibre Channel interface; a Firewire® (IEEE 1394) interface; and so on.The communication interface may include any suitable circuits, mediaand/or protocol content for connecting the electrical unit to anetwork—whether wired or wireless. In various embodiments, the networkmay include the Internet, Local Area Networks (LANs), Wide Area Networks(WANs), wired or wireless Ethernet, telecommunication networks, or othersuitable types of networks.

The present disclosure applies to a transformer-rated meter, aself-contained meter such as a socket meter, or any other type of energyor utility meter. In the example in FIG. 2, a two-layer enclosurearrangement is shown that allows homeowners and low-cost techniciansaccess to the diagnostic and communication interfaces. In an alternatearrangement, the enclosure of the monitoring unit may have its own doorthat can be opened by the homeowner/low cost technician to access theinterface module housed within the enclosure; the operative module,however, may remain shielded from the homeowner. In another embodiment,the enclosure housing the interface module may be set into thedevice/meter itself and contained within the device envelope, or itcould be an outward protrusion from the meter as shown, for example, inthe embodiments of FIGS. 4-5.

The teachings of the present disclosure may lower the initial hardwarecost across a large number (fleet) of distributed energy assets byeliminating the need for including a cellular communication interface aspart of every unit and restricting it to only units that really need it.As discussed before, a wi-fi interface may be initially installed in amonitoring unit. If that interface works satisfactorily or upgraded withthe help of the homeowner for satisfactory backhaul through home wi-finetwork, then there may be no need to install or activate a cellularinterface on the device. Thus, recurring costs are also lowered acrossthe fleet by using cellular interfaces only on installations wherecellular communication is truly required. If every electrical unit inthe fleet is installed/activated with a cellular communication option, aminimum monthly charge would need to be paid on every unit, therebyincreasing the operating cost of the energy assets. Hardware costs froma cellular network sunset or home network protocol obsolescence arereduced as well because only the affected communication module/interfaceneeds to be added/replaced. Labor costs from a cellular network sunsetor home network protocol obsolescence are similarly reduced because sucha replacement can be performed by the homeowner or a low cost technicianinstead of a more expensive electrician. Furthermore, troubleshootingcosts are reduced and outcomes are improved too. By providing thehomeowner with access to debug interfaces and diagnostic indicators,remote troubleshooting may be made much more effective, leading to fewertruck rolls with qualified electricians, lower costs, faster resolution,and higher customer satisfaction.

In the preceding description, for purposes of explanation and notlimitation, specific details are set forth (such as particulararchitectures, interfaces, techniques, etc.) in order to provide athorough understanding of the disclosed technology. However, it will beapparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed technology maybe practiced in other embodiments that depart from these specificdetails. That is, those skilled in the art will be able to devisevarious arrangements which, although not explicitly described or shownherein, embody the principles of the disclosed technology. In someinstances, detailed descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, andmethods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of thedisclosed technology with unnecessary detail. All statements hereinreciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the disclosedtechnology, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended toencompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof.Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include bothcurrently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in thefuture, such as, for example, any monitoring devices developed thatperform the same function, regardless of structure.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that block diagramsherein (e.g., in FIGS. 1-5) represent conceptual views of illustrativecircuitry or other functional units embodying the principles of thetechnology. Similarly, it will be appreciated that the flowchart in FIG.6 represents exemplary method steps embodying the principles of thepresent disclosure.

Alternative embodiments of an electrical unit—such as any of theelectrical units shown in FIGS. 1-5—according to inventive aspects ofthe present disclosure may include additional components responsible forproviding additional functionality, including any of the functionalityidentified above and/or any functionality necessary to support thesolution as per the teachings of the present disclosure. Althoughfeatures and elements are described above in particular combinations,each feature or element can be used alone without the other features andelements or in various combinations with or without other features.

The foregoing describes an electrical unit that has a modular hardwarestructure in which more complex and unsafe portions of the device arerestricted for access by a qualified electrician only, whereas safeareas are made accessible to a non-electrician user (such as a homeowneror a low expertise technician) to help diagnose issues and/or upgradethe functionality of the device without requiring the presence of a highexpertise technician/electrician. Such divided access-based electricalunit may be used to monitor and report the generation and consumption ofrenewable energy. Thus, the electrical unit has two features—modularupgradeability, and separate access levels (or protection domains). Aspart of modular upgradeability, the unit may include the ability to addnew communication interfaces in a modular manner. Thus, instead ofreplacing the entire monitoring unit, new communication interfaces cansimply be added or replaced, preferably by a non-electrician user.Protection domains are created by designing the electrical unit toinclude an easier level of physical access, open to the homeowner or alow expertise technician. This area would support the modular upgradeinterfaces for communication as well as diagnostic interfaces fortroubleshooting. A more tightly restricted area of access may be used toshield the high voltage wiring as well as wired industrial communicationinterfaces from the homeowner.

As will be recognized by those skilled in the art, the innovativeconcepts described in the present application can be modified and variedover a wide range of applications. Accordingly, the scope of patentedsubject matter should not be limited to any of the specific exemplaryteachings discussed above, but is instead defined by the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electrical unit comprising: an operativemodule having circuit components accessible to a qualified electricianonly; and an interface module physically attached to the operativemodule and electrically connected thereto to form a unitary structurefor the electrical unit, wherein the interface module includes at leastone of the following: a communication interface to enable the operativemodule to remotely communicate with a control unit external to theelectrical unit, and a diagnostic interface to indicate operationalstatus of the electrical unit and to enable remote diagnosis of theelectrical unit, wherein the interface module is accessible to anon-electrician user to perform upgrade of the interface module andtroubleshooting for the electrical unit without requiring presence of aqualified electrician, and wherein the operative module and theinterface module are covered in a non-overlapping configuration in whicha first cover shields the operative module to prevent thenon-electrician user from accessing the operative module and a removablesecond cover is placed adjacent to the first cover and over theinterface module to allow the non-electrician user to access theinterface module.
 2. The electrical unit of claim 1, wherein theoperative module and the interface module are covered in a nestedconfiguration in which an inner cover shields the operative module toprevent the non-electrician user from accessing the operative module anda removable outer cover is placed over the inner cover to allow thenon-electrician user to access the interface module.
 3. The electricalunit of claim 1, wherein the operative module is a utility monitoringmeter and the interface module is attached as a protrusion to theutility monitoring meter, wherein the protrusion has at least oneremovable side to allow the non-electrician user to access the interfacemodule.
 4. The electrical unit of claim 3, wherein the protrusion iscylindrical in shape.
 5. The electrical unit of claim 3, wherein theprotrusion is rectangular in shape.
 6. The electrical unit of claim 3,wherein the utility monitoring meter monitors at least one of thefollowing: a household utility; electricity voltage; electricitycurrent; electricity power; electricity frequency; electricity powerfactor; and electricity phase angle.
 7. The electrical unit of claim 1,wherein the operative module includes at least one of the following: avoltage transformer input; a Current Transformer (CT) input; a voltageinput; a current input; and an RS-485 port.
 8. The electrical unit ofclaim 1, wherein the communication interface includes at least one ofthe following: a cellular telecommunications interface; a WirelessFidelity (Wi-Fi) interface; a Radio Frequency (RF) interface; and anEthernet interface.
 9. The electrical unit of claim 1, wherein thediagnostic interface includes at least one of the following: a UniversalSerial Bus (USB) interface; an Ethernet interface; a mini-PeripheralComponent Interconnect express (PCIe) interface; a Personal ComputerMemory Card International Association (PCMCIA) interface; a UniversalSmart Network Access Port (USNAP) interface; and a DB9 port.
 10. Theelectrical unit of claim 1, wherein the electrical unit is one of thefollowing: a renewable energy monitoring unit; an electrical switch; acircuit load panel; an energy storage meter; and an electrical energymonitoring unit.
 11. A method comprising: providing an electrical unitthat includes: an operative module having circuit components accessibleto a qualified electrician only, and an interface module physicallyattached to the operative module and electrically connected thereto toform a unitary structure for the electrical unit, wherein the interfacemodule includes at least one of the following: a communication interfaceto enable the operative module to remotely communicate with a controlunit external to the electrical unit, and a diagnostic interface toindicate operational status of the electrical unit and to enable remotediagnosis of the electrical unit, wherein the interface module isaccessible to a non-electrician user without requiring presence of aqualified electrician, and wherein, upon attachment, the operativemodule and the interface module are covered in a non-overlappingconfiguration in which a first cover shields the operative module toprevent the non-electrician user from accessing the operative module anda removable second cover is placed adjacent to the first cover and overthe interface module to allow the non-electrician user to access theinterface module; and remotely instructing the non-electrician user toperform upgrade of the interface module and troubleshooting for theelectrical unit using the interface module.
 12. The method of claim 11,wherein the operative module is shielded with a first cover thatprevents the non-electrician user from accessing the operative module,and wherein the interface module is provided with a removable secondcover to allow the non-electrician user to access the interface module.13. An electrical unit comprising: an operative module having circuitcomponents accessible to a qualified electrician only; and an interfacemodule physically attachable to the operative module and electricallyconnectible thereto, wherein, upon attachment, the operative module andthe interface module form a unitary structure for the electrical unit,wherein the interface module includes at least one of the following: acommunication interface to enable the operative module to remotelycommunicate with a control unit external to the electrical unit, and adiagnostic interface to indicate operational status of the electricalunit and to enable remote diagnosis of the electrical unit, wherein theinterface module is accessible to a non-electrician user to performupgrade of the interface module and troubleshooting for the electricalunit without requiring presence of a qualified electrician, and wherein,upon attachment, the operative module and the interface module arecovered in a non-overlapping configuration in which a first covershields the operative module to prevent the non-electrician user fromaccessing the operative module and a removable second cover is placedadjacent to the first cover and over the interface module to allow thenon-electrician user to access the interface module.
 14. The electricalunit of claim 13, wherein, upon attachment, the operative module and theinterface module are covered in a nested configuration in which an innercover shields the operative module to prevent the non-electrician userfrom accessing the operative module and a removable outer cover isplaced over the inner cover to allow the non-electrician user to accessthe interface module.
 15. The electrical unit of claim 13, wherein theoperative module is a utility monitoring meter and the interface moduleis attachable as a protrusion to the monitoring meter, wherein theprotrusion has at least one removable side to allow the non-electricianuser to access the interface module.
 16. The electrical unit of claim15, wherein the protrusion is cylindrical in shape.
 17. The electricalunit of claim 15, wherein the protrusion is rectangular in shape. 18.The electrical unit of claim 13, wherein the electrical unit is one ofthe following: a renewable energy monitoring unit; an electrical switch;a circuit load panel; an energy storage meter; and an electrical energymonitoring unit.